Moving from 2016 to 2017 - Ada's reflections

As the year draws to a close, I thought it might be a good idea to reflect on the past year and plan for the next, hence this post.

Like the previous years, this year has its good and bad. I’m thankful for the good but equally thankful to have experienced the bad for I’m sure they are helping me in becoming a stronger and better person. I’ll sum up my year with three of my most meaningful endeavors.

1. Picking up Buddhism and meditation. I started learning Buddhism and meditation at the start of 2016. A year has passed and I find myself having new perspectives on life, career and relationships. I came to understand that there is more to life than chasing after qualifications, climbing the corporate ladder and figuring out ways to earn that additional bit of money; which was precisely what I had been doing before. In the midst of my endless pursuits to achieve what the society defines a successful life, I had overlooked the frailty of life. Buddhism constantly reminds me of the meaning of being human and how short our time on earth really is. While making material success still remains necessary to a certain extent, to allow us to provide for our loved ones, it should not make up the whole of life. Instead, health, happiness and relationships should take the centrestage. 

2. Giving. Master Jin Bodhi spoke on many occasions on the importance of giving. Giving can come in many forms, be it time, money, or resources. We should give to the needy as well as the spiritual leaders and Buddhas. This act, coupled with a sincere desire to give without expecting returns, can generate merits that will eventually benefit the giver. After learning this, I started giving. There was initial inertia as it was not my habit, but eventually, I came to enjoy it and even find it a privilege to be able to give. I feel happy to buy tissues from the uncles and aunties sitting by the roadside while others just hurried by to get to their workplace quickly. I feel happy in doing things that I have been planning for ages to get started, but haven't found the time, resources and company to do so. Also, I feel happy seeing my volunteer work take on meaning, even if it's just putting a simple smile on people’s faces. Giving has so much more value than the literal meaning of it, I encourage you to do more to experience it for yourself. 

3. Having found a new direction for life. I was struggling quite a bit with my career and life goals in the past year. Although I had a stable job, I was constantly worrying about the next pursuits to ensure I stay ahead of the pack. I had no clear goals, and was frequently skipping from ideas to ideas, but never delving deeper into them. I ended up feeling unsettled and constantly rushing for time. Buddhism and meditation have helped me to clarify my goals, which perhaps started from clarifying the purpose of life. 

In all, I feel that I've gained so much from learning Buddhism and meditation, which is also the reason why this blog is here - so I can share what I've learnt with all of you. With gratefulness on one hand and hopefulness on the other, I look forward to a more meaningful year ahead. I wish you joy, good health and a fulfilling year ahead. May you be able to find what matters to you the most soon.


Best wishes,
Ada

For more information on Meditation , please visit:
Official Bodhi Meditation Worldwide Centers: http://puti.org/en/worldwide-centers/

Veggie Eats: Ci Yan Vegetarian Restaurant

Article Written By Ada:


Ci Yan Vegetarian Restaurant is a simple vegetarian restaurant located in Chinatown, situated just beside the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple (between Chinatown, Outram and Tanjong Pagar MRT).

The restaurant displays many beautiful Thangkas and Buddha artifacts and simply sitting there will make one feel at ease and peaceful.

The menu changes on a daily basis, and the dishes served generally feels like home-cooked food. Price is quite reasonable too, it costs between seven to ten to get a bowl of noodles/ rice. The last time I was there, I had Bak Kut Teh noodles, curry Udon and white fungus dessert. All the dishes were quite tasty :)

If you're working in the area, you may like to drop by to calm your mind over lunch. The owners are very friendly too, you can chat them up easily if you like :)

Health tips: Pneumonoccal vaccine

Article written by Dr Jerome.  

What is Pneumococcus?

Pneumococcus is a bacteria that causes severe infections (invasive pneumococcal disease) such as chest infection, blood infection, brain membrane infection (meningitis) and infection of the air sinuses in your face (sinusitis). This bacteria has a special membrane on its surface that makes our body's immunity difficult to remove from our body.

Who is at risk of infection?

Severe infection is more common in children 4 years old and younger and people 65 years and older.

How common is severe pneumococcal infection in Singapore?

There are about 380 severe cases of pneumococcal infections in Singapore per year. Half of these cases are adults and 21% of these adults pass away. Streptococcus pneumoniae is part of the normal flora in our airways and up to 50% of Singaporeans carry this bacteria without symptoms. In view of the high morbidity and the high carriage rate, it is still a health concern in Singapore.

Who needs to have Pneumococcal vaccine?

Those aged 65 years and above AND
Those aged 19 years or older with certain medical conditions:
1. Normal Adults with chronic medical conditions such as alcoholism, smoking, diabetes, chronic heart disease, chronic liver disease and chronic lung disease (asthma).
2. Normal Adults with ear implants
3. Those who had surgeries to remove their spleen (because these people have difficulty getting rid of pneumococcus from the blood.)
4. People with poor immune system such as those with chronic renal failure, leukaemia, HIV, people with organ transplants, cancer, on chemotherapy.


What are the types of vaccine available in Singapore?

There are 2 types of pneumococcal vaccines used to prevent severe infections (invasive pneumococcal disease) and pneumonia in Singapore. They are 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) and 13-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV13).
The 23-valent polysaccharide vaccine helps one to develop immunity against 23 different types of pneumococcus. PPSV23 is suitable for children 9 months and older.
The 13-valent conjugate vaccine helps one to develop immunity against 13 different types of pneumococcus. PCV 13 is suitable for children 2 years and older.

How effective are the vaccines?

The vaccines are 60-70% effective in preventing severe infections (invasive pneumococcal disease).

How are the vaccines given?

For adults above 65 years old and never have any previous dose of pneumococcal vaccine, a dose of PCV13 is given first followed by PPSV23 after 6 to 12 months.

For adults 19 to 64 years old with poor immune system, previous spleen surgeries or ear implants and never had any previous dose of pneumococcal vaccine, a dose of PCV13 is given first followed by the first dose of PPSV23 after at least 8 weeks. A second dose of PPSV23 is given 5 years after the first dose of PPSV 23.

For adults 19 to 64 years old with chronic medical conditions, only one dose of PPSV 23 is given.

What are the common side effects of the vaccines?

Pain, redness and swelling over the injection site.
Fever, allergic rash, muscle and joint pains.

Who cannot take the vaccines?

People who have a serious allergy to previous vaccination dose.

Credits: Photo designed by PressFoto - Freepik

 For more information, please refer to:
1) Clinical Practice Guidelines on Adult Vaccination in Singapore 2016
2) Official Bodhi Meditation Worldwide Centers
http://puti.org/en/worldwide-centers/

Disclaimer: This article provides general advice for the public. Please seek official advice from your primary physician.

Chinese Door Gods Blessed by Master Jin Bodhi

From: Master Jin Bodhi:

The Golder Rooster will soon herald in a new Lunar Year, bringing along blessings for all. 

A few days ago, many people have come to ask me after I brought out the bags of goodies, “How do I put up the printed Door Gods?” Let me teach you the correct way to put them up!

Is there an auspicious time to put up the printed Door Gods?

Many people believe that before ushering in the Chinese New Year, they need to put up the printed Door Gods on the door after spring cleaning, usually after the twenty-third day of the lunar twelfth month. People will paste them on the main entrance doors to welcome auspiciousness.

However, the most appropriate practice is to replace the portraits of the old printed Door Gods with new ones on Chinese New Year Eve, after all the spring cleaning has been done. This signifies welcoming of new Door Gods for protection and blessings in the coming New Year. People generally believe that if the portrait of the printed Door Gods is damaged or broken, it will lose its power. Hence, it is a common practice for the Chinese to replace their old printed Door Gods with new ones symbolising the ‘discarding of the old and welcoming in of the new in the New Year’, bringing peace, luck and auspiciousness.
Where should I paste the printed Door Gods?

Normally, people will paste them on the main entrance doors. If it is a single-family house garage, you can still paste them on the door. How do you differentiate between left and right? This is simple: white-faced General Qin Shubao on the right and black-faced General Yuchi Gong on the left. They are facing each other, meaning that together they will keep the demons and evil spirits away from this family. I hope they will protect your family the whole year round and bring great peace and auspiciousness!

What are the benefits of pasting Door Gods?

The following is the benefit sharing of a fellow practitioner:

Early 2016, I just moved to a new home; shortly after that, I started to have all sorts of sicknesses. This not only happened to me but also my brother and my elderly mother, who injured her leg and subsequently it developed into serious cellulitis. During that period, everyone at home was perpetually on medication, the atmosphere was uneasy and I even felt dizzy every day.

By chance, I happened to bring up my family situation to a few dharma sisters in the meditation centre, and realised that my new home may have offended the "gate of evil" – a feng shui taboo. The dharma sister said to me: “It’s easy to solve this problem. Just get and paste the Bodhi’s printed Door Gods and it will get rid of the evil and bless the house with peace”. She also shared a lot of Bodhi extraordinary testimonies. That night I pasted the printed Door Gods on a few doors. True enough it really did not take long for my body to recover. I also slept extremely well at night, free from my headache and my face look radiant.

I was most grateful that the wound on my mother's leg also began to heal shortly after pasting the printed Door Gods! As my mother suffered from diabetes, her leg wound was difficult to heal despite seeking all sorts of treatment. The day after the Door Guards were pasted, my mother found a good physician near our home. In my heart, I know for certain that it’s the Bodhisattva and the blessings of Master that are protecting my family, for which I am most grateful!

I would like to share this auspicious experience with all the friends and families, and I hope everyone can also obtain good fortune and health!

Bring a whole new set of printed spring couplets, Door Gods, wall calendar and table calendar back home. Wishing all of you a peaceful, healthy, prosperous and successful year of Rooster!

For more information, please visit:

1) Lunar New Year Gift Pack video in Youtube:https://youtu.be/WOO0PJX2_Rc

2) Bodhi Meditation Official Website Link:http://puti.org/en/2017-lunar-new-year-bags-of-goodies/

3) Official Bodhi Meditation Worldwide Centershttp://puti.org/en/worldwide-centers/

Humans and Fishes. Are we alike?

Written by Jerome (丹耿)

I was walking in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park on a Sunday evening (11th december 2016) when I saw hundreds of fishes in a small river. I started feeding them some bread that I brought along. As I was feeding, the fishes jostled, side by side, one above the other and some jumped above the water to compete for the bread. Even birds came to feed on the bread. Halfway through, I had an inspiration to write this poem.

"
Greedy are these fishes who seek for and fight for their food.

Greedy are humans who seek for and fight for money, power, sensual and intellectual desires.

Life after life, they live in the tank of materialism.

Ups and downs in life, they experience cycles of joy and woe.

When do they learn to share and think about their fellow beings?

When can they truly be happy?

"

Actually humans and fishes are not much different. Each fight for things they desire. They both experience happiness when they get things they want and experience distress when they do not get things they crave for. Is that all we do in life?

A food for thought. I hope to share this poem with everyone.

For more information, please visit:
Official Bodhi Meditation Worldwide Centers: http://puti.org/en/worldwide-centers/

Feng Shui in your home - general tips #1

People and the natural environment are interconnected; they resonate with and complement each other. As long as we follow natural law and stay in sync with Nature, Nature will bring us auspicious energy and keep negative energy at bay. This is also what we normally call "Feng Shui".

The following are some Feng Shui tips for your home:

Do Not Display Furniture with Sharp Corners

Furniture with sharp corners creates wariness and tension in the mind. The pointed corners are like the tips of swords, cutting and wounding the energy field. Sharp furniture also increases the likelihood of children getting injured when playing in the house.

Display Auspicious Accessories in Your Home

Keep in mind that every item has its own unique energy field.

Skeletons and death-related accessories should generally be avoided as they radiate the energy of death and deterioration.

The master bedroom should not display collection of swords, weapons or pictures of predatory animals such as eagles and tigers. These objects are inconsistent with love and affection. The best accessories to feature include those that connote love, even better would be displays of objects that come in pairs, as a couple. Symbols that are singular, or in multiples of three, are not considered signs of love and harmony.

There Should Be No Junk around and Under the Bed

The bed should be clean and clear, both above and below.

The Bedroom Should Be Tidy

Your bedroom is a mirror of your life: It directly reflects your image. The bedroom should always be kept clean and tidy, especially the closet. Feng Shui theory posits that fabric attracts positive energy, and therefore a neat wardrobe or closet will naturally bring auspiciousness.

The Rooms Should Always Be Bright, Dry and Fresh

Keep your doors and windows clean, and open your windows as often as much as possible for ventilation, fresh air and plenty of light.

Ensure that your rooms are not dark, wet and dirty, as they attract negative energy, and people who live in such environments are susceptible to illness. Mold and foul odors draw forth negative energy. Garbage and food wastes should he disposed of quickly in order to keep the hone smelling fresh and feeling positive.

Conclusion

Feng Shui is not simply the physical aspects of the home. It also comprises of the hearts and the minds of members living in it.

When a family loves and supports its members, the family is manifesting positive energy and blessings. It is a natural law that if harmony exist within ourselves and in our environment, the Divine will be drawn into our lives. A loving, caring, supportive and grateful family environment will form a powerful, auspicious energy field that can nurture us and ensure continued flourishing.

Believe in Cause and Consequences

If you follow the natural law, you will be successful. Remember the old saying: “If you plant melons, you’ll get melons. If you plant beans, you’ll get beans.” In other words, we reap what we sow. By doing simple good deeds every day, we cultivate blessings. If we plant seeds of love by helping others in need, our own families will be blessed with Iove, compassion and good fortune.

A Chinese philosopher once said, “Self-cultivation first, then form a harmonious family, then govern the country and then bring peace to the world”. Self-cultivation is the foundation of our future success and happiness. Cultivating virtue is ultimately much more important than selecting furnishings for the home. Good fortune follows virtuous people; wherever they reside is an auspicious place.

Picture background designed by Tirachard - Freepik

Content credits: Meditation & Health Magazine Winter/ Spring 2013 Vol. 3 No. 1 - Bodhi Meditation

Sacred Relics and Relic Holder Blessed by Master Jin Bodhi

I attended an internal retreat at Singapore Bodhi Meditation Centre in May 2016, and during the retreat, a couple of blessed items were displayed for sponsorship. This relic holder was one of them.

The moment the relic holder was brought out, I became very warm to the extent that I started sweating (in an air-con room!). I knew right then that it has an affinity with me. However, it was way beyond my budget and I was reluctant to sponsor it. I decided to forget about this feeling, but just then a kind participant whom I did not know before said she would sponsor it for me because she had a strong feeling that I should have it. This made me change my mind but I was a bit late and the only two available relic holders had already been reserved. Fortunately, one of the two owners was willing to let me have it! The entire series of events was so amazing and I was so grateful for everyone who made this possible!

When I brought the relic holder home, my mum and I could feel the heat energy exuding from it. It was such a warm and peaceful energy.

The relics inside the holder were given to me by my Theravada meditation teacher. He told me that the relics came from a Thai monk who saw that many stupas in India were destroyed and not well taken care by the locals. He made an aspiration that he will take good care of all the relics if they were in his hands. The next day, the monk found many relics in his bag! It was said that devas (celestial beings) brought the relics to the monk. It was also said that the coloured relics are produced when the Buddha walked on the ground (Each footstep produced some relics). The white relics, on the other hand, were produced when the bodies of the Buddha or Arahants were cremated. Since then, the Thai monk started distributing these relics to good cultivators. I am very fortunate to have these relics too. 

May everyone who sees this relic holder and its sacred relics be well and happy! 

For more information, please visit:

Bodhi Meditation (for health, for life) - http://puti.org/en/

Health tips: Jaundice in babies

Between 30% to 50% of term babies (babies more than 37 weeks in womb) experience jaundice after birth. This post will share with you more about jaundice and teach you what you can do about it. :)

What is jaundice?

Jaundice is a condition in which the skin and eyes of a newborn baby turn yellow due to high amounts of bilirubin in the body.

Common causes of jaundice in the newborn:

Bilirubin is a breakdown product of red blood cells. High levels of bilirubin in the blood causes jaundice, and at very high levels is harmful to the baby's brain. Immediate symptoms include lethargy, irritability and stiff body and limbs. Long term impact will be brain damage which may result in mental retardation, deafness, cerebral palsy and death.

How to detect jaundice in your baby?

You will notice that your baby (if jaundiced) will have yellow skin and eyes. It may be more difficult to detect jaundice in babies with darker skin colour, however, these babies are not less likely to have jaundice.

1) Physiological jaundice

This is common in term babies and more so in pre-term babies. As their livers are not yet mature and their red blood cells have short lifespan, they have an increased bilirubin load (increased turnover rate of red blood cell) and a low ability of excreting them. The jaundice usually starts on the 2nd and 3rd day of life, peak at 3 to 5 days and return to normal by day 10 of life. There is no treatment for this. Just observe and let nature runs its course.

2) Breast milk jaundice

Breast milk jaundice is the most common cause of jaundice that persists beyond 14 days of life. The jaundice usually starts near the 1st week of life, peak at the 2nd week and can lasts up to 12 weeks. Again, no treatment is required and let nature run its course. Although babies on formula milk are less prone to breast milk jaundice, they are missing out on the nutrients breast milk have as compared to infant formula milk. Hence, do not stop breastfeeding!

3) Poor feeding

Sub-optimal milk intake in babies can cause dehydration which results in slower bilirubin excretion. Weight loss should not exceed more than 10% of the body weight in the 1st week of life.

Other causes include blood group incompatibility with mother, infection, genetic causes, liver inflammation, urinary tract infection, low thyroid hormones and inflammation of the bile ducts.

Things to take note of in your baby:

1) When did the jaundice start?

All babies with jaundice on the 1st day of life is abnormal and will need to be fully investigated in the hospitals.

2) Is your baby having tea-coloured urine or pale stools?

If your baby has white stools or orange/dark brown/tea-coloured urine, do seek help from your doctors.

3) Is your child feeding well?

Normal babies change diapers about 5 times a day. Diaper changing is an indication of your baby’s hydration status. Poor feeding leads to jaundice.

Which types of babies are more at risk of jaundice?

1) Pre-mature babies

2) Babies that have incompatible blood group with their mothers

3) G6PD deficient babies (lacking the enzyme essential for red blood cells to have a normal lifespan, this will lead to an increased turnover of red blood cells)

4) Babies that are exclusively breastfed and have poor feeding

5) Babies with bruises (from a difficult birth or other causes)

Advice on care for babies and common misconceptions

1) It is important to monitor bilirubin levels closely with your doctors.

2) In the past, people have put their babies with jaundice under the sun thinking that it may help. Do not put your baby under the sun as this is ineffective. Only blue light is needed (hospitals use phototherapy with blue or white light). Putting your baby under the sun may cause sunburn and dehydration and may worsen the jaundice.

3) Breast milk is the best for the baby. Do not stop breast feeding, dilute the milk or feed your baby water.

4) Please seek help from lactation consultants from hospitals if you are having difficulties with breastfeeding.

How are babies with jaundice followed up?

Generally, babies with mild to moderate jaundice levels should be followed up with the doctor in primary care. In Singapore, babies are followed up in polyclinics or hospitals. Babies with severe jaundice will be referred to hospitals. The cut off levels of bilirubin for referral to hospitals varies among institutions.

When are babies discharged from medical care?

Generally, babies are discharged when their serum bilirubin levels fall below 100 mmol/L (depending on the practice of the institution). However, parents are encouraged to monitor the child at home and return if the yellowing of eyes and skin does not go away or get worse.

Photograph designed by Photoduet - Freepik

Disclaimer: This article provides general advice for the public. Please seek official advice from your primary physician.